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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22725862">Harmony Evil Author Day Selections</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mtwb/pseuds/The%20Muse%20of%20Apollo'>The Muse of Apollo (mtwb)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Evil Author Day 2020, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 16:28:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,318</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22725862</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mtwb/pseuds/The%20Muse%20of%20Apollo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>These fics, of varying lengths, are submitted for the annual Evil Author Day. They are not edited (at all), so expect typos, inconsistent plots and more. I've no clue if or when I'll ever continue them. No, they are not available for adoption. They're mine. Go write your own. All Are Harmony or Harmony+ Related.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>81</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Selection #1 Based on the prompt: Harry and Hermione sleep together in the tent. Canon continues on, and Hermione ends up with Ron, despite her time with Harry. When she finds out she's pregnant, she needs to decide how to tell her two best friends.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter One </b>
</p>
<p>Hermione sat on her bathroom floor and stared blankly at the little plastic device in her hand. It had been a total last resort before making her way to a healer. She had been feeling ill for weeks. Foods that she had normally loved were upsetting her and she woke up most mornings needing to throw up the contents of her stomach. For the first few days, she figured it was just a stomach bug and that it’d go away, but it hadn’t. Hermione had then sought out a book – naturally – and found a potion that was supposed to cure basic stomach ailments. But it didn’t work.</p>
<p>It was after two weeks of being sick that Hermione remembered that she hadn’t had her period since long before the Final Battle. She hadn’t really thought much of it, since she had been under a lot of stress both before the Battle of Hogwarts and after, and she knew that stress always messed with her periods.</p>
<p>But the thought stuck with her, and that had led Hermione to the local chemist’s shop for a test. She didn’t think that it’d actually come back positive. After all, she’d only had sex <em>one</em><span> time. </span></p>
<p>But it had. A happy little smiley face stared back at her.</p>
<p>
  <span>The only thing she could think, the only thought flowing through her head was, </span>
  <em>What am I going to tell Harry?</em>
  <em>
    <span class="u">r</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>---<em>Flashback---</em></p>
<p>It had only happened because it was cold. Honestly. It was so cold, and no matter how many warming charms they used, they just couldn’t retain heat for long enough to stay warm, especially at night. So Hermione had suggested that they share a bed.</p>
<p>Harry had blushed and stuttered. Hermione had laughed at him, and then kissed him on the cheek. “I trust you,” she had said. Because it was true. She trusted Harry Potter more than any single person in the world, even more than herself at times. Hermione knew that Harry would never hurt her, at least not on purpose.</p>
<p>So, that night when it was time for them to get some sleep, she had crawled into Harry’s bed beside him and curled into his warmth with a contented sigh. It took him almost an hour to settle down and become comfortable, but eventually, he wrapped an arm around her waist and fell asleep.</p>
<p>That had started it all. Each night they would cuddle together in his bed or hers and keep each other warm. One morning, after a really nice sleep, Hermione woke up and felt Harry’s erection pressing against her bum. With fog clogging her head, she didn’t realize when she started to press herself back against him with wiggles that could only be described as sinful.</p>
<p>By the time they were both fully awake, Hermione had worked Harry into a frenzied state of arousal, and she wasn’t too far behind. Hermione would have thought that she would apologize and then spend the next night in her own bed suffering from the cold. But she didn’t do that. Instead she had rolled around in Harry’s arms and kissed him. She didn’t wait for him to respond, Hermione just pushed her lips against his and shoved her tongue into his mouth. Harry froze, but then kissed her back. And it was <em>so good.</em> Before they knew it, they were both naked with Hermione straddling Harry’s hips as she rode him to completion after completion.</p>
<p>When it was over, and they both were laying on their sides facing each other, breathing hard. That was when reality set in for Hermione. She closed her eyes and tried desperately to control the blush that was threatening to take over her entire body.</p>
<p>What had she just done?</p>
<p>After she had fled a few moments later to the bedroom to clean herself up, she stared into the bathroom mirror at her flushed reflection. Hermione knew that she wanted Ron. It was Ron who had stirred thoughts of love and lust for so long that she couldn’t even remember. It had never been Harry.</p>
<p>Well...almost never. In third year she had crushed on him hard, but then she found out he couldn’t go to Hogsmede, which meant that she spent more time with Ron, and her affections had changed.</p>
<p>But now she and Harry had slept together, and she knew it had changed everything. Hermione blushed deeper as she knew there hadn’t been any <em>sleeping</em> involved at all. Now she was more confused than ever. Ron was gone, having abandoned them weeks before, and now she had just fucked her best friend into the mattress that they only shared because it was so damn cold outside. What was she supposed to do now?</p>
<p>Eventually, Hermione dragged her body into the shower and had cleaned herself. The tenderness between her legs only served as a constant reminder that she had just lost her virginity to Harry Potter. Her virginity that she had always thought would be given to Ron.</p>
<p>Once she was done in the shower. Hermione reluctantly returned to the main area of the tent. Harry was dressed – having used the second, smaller, bathroom to clean up – and was standing at the stove cooking porridge.</p>
<p>“Harry...” Hermione said as she came up behind him. Harry looked towards her, his face unreadable. Hermione flinched. She was always able to read Harry, it was one of the things that made their friendship so great. The only times it hadn’t been true were during the times when they weren’t getting along like during the broom fiasco during third year and during their sixth year where she had been too caught up in being right to realize that her best friend was hurting. Seeing that unreadable expression on his face now hurt quite a bit.</p>
<p>“We should talk,” She said finally.</p>
<p>Harry just nodded and turned off the burner. He wiped his hands on a dish rag and turned towards her, giving her an expectant look. Hermione flushed, knowing that he was waiting for her to start the conversation.</p>
<p>“Look, what we did was a mistake,” She started, and flinched a bit when hurt flashed across his features. “I mean, not a mistake, but it shouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry, I just got caught up and...”</p>
<p>Harry just looked at her for a moment before he nodded. “If that’s the way you see it, then that’s okay, I guess.”</p>
<p>“Wait, isn’t it the way you see it too,” Hermione asked. “After all, you have Ginny to think about.”</p>
<p>“Ginny and I aren’t together anymore, Hermione.”</p>
<p>“But you will get back together when the war is over, I know you will.”</p>
<p>Harry shrugged. “Maybe, but I doubt it. She is more interested in my fame than anything else. It’s something that I learned throughout our relationship.”</p>
<p>“So, you don’t think what we did was a mistake?”</p>
<p>Again, Harry shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean it was nice, and I don’t regret it, so how can it be a mistake?”</p>
<p>“But you don’t even like me like that!” Hermione said in exasperation. Harry was silent, which caused Hermione to shift uncomfortably. “Do you?”</p>
<p>“I...I did. For a long time,” Harry said softly, looking her in the eyes. “But I’ve known since the end of third year that you chose Ron and that he returned your feelings.”</p>
<p>Hermione stared back at him, shocked. She couldn’t even fathom what he was saying. She’d never once, not ever, got any indication that Harry Potter fancied her. Not once. In fact, if she had been asked, Hermione would have bet a lot of money on Harry seeing her as a sibling, not as a romantic interest. “I...I don’t even know what to say”</p>
<p>“I think you’ve already said everything you need to. It was a mistake, right?”</p>
<p>“Harry...” Hermione said, reaching out for him. He didn’t back away, but he didn’t step forward either.</p>
<p>“No, Hermione. It’s okay. I’ve known for a long time that it was never going to be me. It’s why I went after Cho and then Ginny. You’re not breaking my heart or anything. I may be a teensy-tiny bit in love with you, but I’ve already gotten over it, I’ll be fine.”</p>
<p>With that, Harry went back to cooking breakfast and Hermione stood there staring at her best friend like he had grown an extra head. Harry was in love with her? What?</p>
<p>Hermione went to her bunk and pulled out a book and tried to read, but she couldn’t focus. She couldn’t think about anything other than what Harry had said. The next two days went on like that, with her trying desperately to think about something other than the fact that her best friend was in love with her. The atmosphere in the tent was tense, and Hermione knew that it was only a matter of time before it snapped and something dramatic happened.</p>
<p>And it did. Three nights after the day Hermione and Harry had sex, Ronald Weasley came trotting back into their lives, sword of Gryffindor in toe, and spouting many mostly-sincere apologies in her direction.</p>
<p>Ron’s return helped Hermione focus on something other than Harry, namely, her anger at the red-headed arsehole who had spent weeks in a warm bed with lots of food while she and Harry froze and starved.</p>
<p>By the time Ron had been back for a week, Harry and Hermione’s relationship was mostly back to ‘normal.’ There were moments where Hermione would feel uncomfortable, but mostly she and Harry returned to the friendship that they had enjoyed before Hermione had almost ruined it. It was that, more than anything else, that made Hermione decide that the best thing to do was to ignore the event completely. Harry seemed to be doing the same thing, so she didn’t feel bad, and as he had said, she wasn’t breaking his heart by not choosing to be with him.</p>
<p>And besides, they had more important things to do, like find the next bloody horcrux.</p>
<p>-:::-</p>
<p>She had hurt him though. Hermione had seen the hurt on his face when she kissed Ron during the Battle of Hogwarts. She had seen the dejected look on his face after the Battle had ended when she and Ron had come up to him holding hands. But he didn’t say anything. He gave them a smile and congratulated them about getting together. It didn’t reach his eyes, but Hermione appreciated the effort. The day after the Battle, Hermione cornered him and asked him about his reaction.</p>
<p>“Harry… are we okay?”</p>
<p>Harry looked at her for a moment before giving her a grin. “Of course we are.”</p>
<p>“No, I mean...I know we didn’t...talk about what happened in the tent, but I wanted to make sure it’s not going to affect our friendship.”</p>
<p>“It won’t, Hermione. I told you, it wasn’t like you broke my heart or anything. I’m happy for you and Ron, really.”</p>
<p>Hermione studied him and he looked sincere, but she could see in his eyes the pain that she had caused him. “I’m sorry, Harry.”</p>
<p>Harry gave her a real smile then. “You don’t have to apologize, Hermione, not at all. No matter what, I want you to be happy. You’re my best friend. If you’re happy, then I’m happy. Don’t worry about me and my feelings. I’m fine.”</p>
<p>“But...”</p>
<p>“No, really. I’m okay. I’m going to go see Andromeda and Teddy today, and help her with Remus’ and Tonks’ funerals. Are you going to be with the Weasleys?</p>
<p>Hermione nodded, letting him change the subject. It hurt her to think that she caused him pain, but if he was going to be okay with her and Ron, she would try to make sure she didn’t cause him anymore distress by picking at the wound.</p>
<p>---<em>End Flashback--- </em></p>
<p>Since that day, things had been as normal as they could be given that they’d spent two weeks going to funerals every day and several more weeks helping to repair Hogwarts. She saw Harry almost every day, and he didn’t seem distant or anything, so Hermione vowed to move on. She and Ron were giving their relationship a chance, and that was going okay, and Hermione had hope for the future.</p>
<p>But now she was pregnant. With Harry Potter’s baby. Harry Potter, who was not her boyfriend. Harry Potter, who was in love with her, and had told her so. Harry Potter who she’d had sex with and then rejected with a simple, yet hurtful statement.</p>
<p>Hermione didn’t stop the tears that started to flow down her cheeks. <em>What am I going to do?</em></p>
<p>
  <b>Chapter Two</b>
</p>
<p>Harry Potter exited the bank in a trance. The entire experience he had just had was completely surreal, and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. For one, he was apparently one of the most wealthy men in Britain.</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry didn’t know what to make of that fact, but there it was. He wasn’t so shocked about that, however. He had known that his family had a lot of money and that the vault that he had been using since he was eleven was just his trust vault. So finding out that the Potters were very wealthy was not </span>
  <em>that</em>
  <span> surprising. Harry had also realized that he had received a lot of money from Sirius. The Blacks were much wealthier than the Potters, and Harry had received all of that money.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The real shocker had come when Harry had found out about the hundreds of people who had sent him money over the years. Dumbledore had apparently created an account in 1982 that received every donation and gift that Harry received. That vault was also used for almost two decades worth of fan mail, which Harry wasn’t looking forward to going through. The money though was shocking. There were people who had willed him the entirety of their estates. The grand total of those gifts made the Potter and Black fortunes, both of which numbered in the high </span>
  <span>nine</span>
  <span> figures, look paltry. It was mind boggling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The money he had made the 10 million galleon fine he had paid the goblins much easier to swallow. </span>
  <span>They had not been happy about Harry’s ‘excursion’ into the bank, and had showed that displeasure by taking a hefty fine and forcing him to sign a blood oath stating that he’d never steal from the bank again. They had only been that lenient after they had found out why Harry and his friends had broken into the Lestrange vault. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry looked out over Diagon Alley and held in a smile. It was so nice to see the alley full once again. It was all too easy to remember how deserted, dark and dreary it had been when he, Ron and Hermione had made their way through just a few weeks before. </span>
  <span>Many of the shops and businesses were reopened and the few that weren’t still showed signs of life. That wasn’t to say that there weren’t signs of the war that had just ended still visible. Ollivanders was still a burned out husk of its former glory, and Harry knew that it was likely to stay that way for some time. Ollivander was still recovering from months of torture at the hands of Voldemort and his minions. Harry wasn’t sure the old man would ever be the same after that ordeal. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a silent sigh, Harry made his way into the burgeoning crowds and towards the main apparition point. He had a hat over his head now so that he wasn’t recognized, so he moved fairly freely, which was a relief. After learning so much about his family from the Goblins he wasn’t quite sure </span>
  <span>he could handle being mobbed by a bunch of well wishers. </span>
</p>
<p>A few minutes later he arrived at Grimmauld Place and flopped down on the new sofa he had gone out of his way to purchase. Harry had plans to slowly renovate the entire house – though now that he knew he had other homes he figured that he could take his time. The sofa, however, was not something he was going to wait for. The old furniture was dusty, hard and pretentious. Harry spent most of his time on the couch, so he wanted something comfortable. So a few days after the funerals ended, he had went to the nearest furniture store and picked out the one with the best cushions. It was bright orange, but Harry did not care one bit. It was the most sinfully comfortable thing he had ever sat on.</p>
<p>Harry pulled out the ledger that his account manager Sharpclaw had given him. It was full of information not only on the money he had in his accounts, but also the businesses he owned or had investments in. The list was almost as staggering as the amount of gold in his vaults.</p>
<p>Harry stared down at the black ink that flowed over the parchment. It was too much to even consider. All this information did, was make Harry keep thinking about what came next for him.</p>
<p>
  <span>Ever since the funerals ended, Harry had been thinking about that single question: </span>
  <em>What’s next</em>
  <span>? Voldemort was gone. For years and years, Harry’s only goal was to survive his next encounter with the Dark Lord. </span>
  <span>That was it. Beat Voldemort and hopefully live to tell the tale. Now that was over, and Harry found himself to be at a loss as to what to do next. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The only thing he knew he didn’t want to do was go back to Hogwarts. Harry just knew that Hermione would be going back, and just the thought of being around her and Ron turned his stomach. </span>
  <span>It wasn’t as if they were fighting or anything. It was that Harry just couldn’t stand watching his two best friends now that they were together romantically. It hurt so much to see Hermione kiss Ron, and while she tried not to do it when Harry was around, there were a few times when Harry saw them together and it just ripped him to shreds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had lied to Hermione when he said she hadn’t broken his heart. They’d had sex and then she had told him that she thought it was a mistake. Harry couldn’t fathom how the best thing that had ever happened to him could be a ‘mistake.’ </span>
  <span>It just didn’t make sense. </span>
</p>
<p>But Harry had gone along with it. What else could he do? He had even made a joke out of his feelings, and told Hermione that he would be fine. Because he would be fine. Harry had good practice at hiding his feelings for his best female friend. She had chosen Ron long ago, and since that wouldn’t change, Harry would just continue to suck it up.</p>
<p>
  <span>That didn’t mean he would put up with having to see their relationship everyday while attending Hogwarts. He was no masochist. </span>
  <span>Harry was happy for his friends, but he would not subject himself to torture.</span>
</p>
<p>So Hogwarts was out.</p>
<p>The other option was taking his NEWTs at the ministry of magic and joining the Auror department. That held little appeal for Harry, as he was quite sick of fighting off dark wizards left and right. Even through he’d planned on entering the Auror Academy after Hogwarts in his fifth year, things had changed. Voldemort was gone, and Harry was done fighting. He just was.</p>
<p>So, he’d take his NEWTs, but then what? Harry looked back down at the ledger in his lap and realized that he could literally do anything he wanted with his life. Money was apparently never ever going to be an issue for him or his offspring.</p>
<p>
  <span>With a sigh, Harry put the ledger on the couch </span>
  <span>cushion</span>
  <span> next to him. The answer was not going to be found in columns of ink on parchment. </span>
  <span>Whatever the answer was, Harry hoped he could figure it out soon.</span>
</p>
<p>-:::-</p>
<p>Hermione had eventually pulled herself together. She had gotten up off of her bathroom floor, flushed the toilet, washed her hands and face, and then meandered out to her bedroom where she changed into her most comfortable pyjamas and flopped down on her bed. She had no interest in facing the world at all, even though it was just a few hours after lunchtime. Instead, she fell asleep feeling sorry for herself.</p>
<p>When she woke up it was well past dinner time, and her stomach was complaining again. This time, luckily, it was in hunger and not because she needed to say hello to the toilet seat.</p>
<p>Wearily, Hermione got out of bed and made her way out into the main area of her flat. She loved the little space. It was only three rooms in total, but it had character. The main area housed a small kitchen, living space/dining room, and office. The bedroom was small, but just the right size for a queen sized bed and a night stand, and the bathroom was just large enough to hold a claw foot tub and a sink. It wasn’t extravagant, but it was hers, and to Hermione, that was all that mattered.</p>
<p>She stuck with a simple meal of cereal, as she really didn’t feel like cooking anything. As Hermione was munching on a spoonful of raisin bran, she gazed out blankly at the city street below her flat. It felt like the entire world was collapsing around her and she could do nothing to stop it.</p>
<p>What did she do now? Hermione knew that no matter what happened between her and Harry, her relationship with Ron was over. She knew Ron better than he knew himself, and she knew that there was no way he was going stick around with her and help raise another man’s baby. It was just not possible. He might have matured a bit after he had come back during the Horcrux Hunt, but he hadn’t matured that much.</p>
<p>And Harry…</p>
<p>
  <span>What was she going to tell him? She couldn’t very well go over to his flat and tell him that she had gotten knocked up and that it was his baby, not when she had told him that their entire tryst was a mistake. Hermione knew that she had hurt him, and that she was still hurting him, no matter what he said out loud. She could see the pain on Harry’s face every time she forgot herself and showed Ron affection in front of Harry. </span>
  <span>It wasn’t that she couldn’t imagine a scenario where they could work things out, it was that she couldn’t think of a situation where she wouldn’t just hurt Harry more. Hermione knew that her feelings weren’t those of a woman for a man when it came to Harry Potter. She was attracted to him – obviously, given the outcome of their one time in bed together – but she wasn’t romantically interested in him, and she hadn’t been in many years. Hermione couldn’t see that situation changing, even with a baby now in the mix. </span>
</p>
<p>Add in the hurt that she had already caused him, and Hermione knew she was stuck between a rock and a hard place when it came to options.</p>
<p>
  <span>On the other hand, it wasn’t like she </span>
  <em>couldn’t </em>
  <span>tell him at all. That would be the absolute worst thing she could do, because eventually it would come out, probably at the exact worst time. Not to mention that the baby would probably come out of her looking exactly like its father. There was no way she could pass off a black haired, green-eyed baby as a Weasley, even if she were that cold hearted, which she wasn’t. </span>
</p>
<p>So she had to tell him, and she couldn’t be with him. She also couldn’t be with Ron. Hermione hadn’t felt so alone in her entire life. She couldn’t even go and talk to her mom, because her mum was in Australia and didn’t even know that she had a daughter. Hermione had known that the charm she had used on her parents was permanent, and she didn’t regret saving her parents in such a way, but right now she could really, really use her mum. The tears that flowed down her cheeks couldn’t be stopped and Hermione didn’t try anyways. What was the point? She was alone, just like she probably always would be.</p>
<p>
  <b>Chapter Three</b>
</p>
<p><span>Neville Longbottom loved plants. It was a secret that his most favorite subject at Hogwarts had always been Herbology. </span>It was probably the thing that made his Grandmother the most disappointed in him throughout the years. He wasn’t a charms prodigy like his mother had been or a defense prodigy like his father had been. Neville had no interest in being an Auror or working for the ministry. To Augusta Longbottom, Neville’s unwillingness to be like his parents was a complete failure and for many years that had been exactly how she had treated him.</p>
<p>It had only changed when he had gone to the Department of Mysteries with Harry Potter and the rest of his friends. Neville’s bravery that night showed his Gran that there was more to the boy than just a few potted plants could show. She had gotten him a new wand and the rest, as they say, is history. Even Neville, however, was shocked at what he had become during his seventh year at Hogwarts. Standing up to Voldemort there at the end was simultaneously the most brave and stupid thing he had ever done. He’d been utterly terrified, but he would not let that beast kill more of his friends if he could help it. Harry had told him to kill the snake, and one thing that Neville had learned throughout the years is that if Harry said something, it was important to listen.</p>
<p>After the war, Neville watched the Golden Trio – as the press was calling them. He could tell that Harry was putting on an act of being okay with Ron and Hermione’s relationship, he was pretty sure that anyone watching Harry could tell that. For years, Neville would have sworn that Harry and Hermione would end up together, but it looked like he had been wrong. Neville was sad for his friend and he couldn’t really see what Hermione saw in Ron that made him a better choice than Harry.</p>
<p>But then you couldn’t choose who you fall in love with, Neville had learned that better than most. He had fallen in love with Ginny Weasley even though he’d known that Ginny belonged to Harry. They’d spent so much time together during the first term that Neville just knew that she was the girl for him. When she didn’t come back after Christmas he was a little heartbroken, but also a lot relieved, since she would no longer have to put up with the Death Eater infestation at Hogwarts.</p>
<p>Now that the war was over, Ginny was avoiding him, and he was done with that. Neville apparated outside the Burrow and pinged the notification ward with his magic. He knew that Ginny was likely hurting due to Fred’s death, but she didn’t need to hide that from him. Neville’s insecurities told him that she was likely hiding from him because she didn’t return his feelings, and that hurt quite a bit.</p>
<p>He was greeted by Mr. Weasley. “Ah, Neville. What do we owe this pleasure?”</p>
<p>“Hello, Mr. Weasley. I was wondering if I could talk to Ginny for a few moments.”</p>
<p>“Ginny?” Mr. Weasley asked in surprise then he shrugged. “Sure. Here, come on through.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Harmony Break Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Title: Sometimes Goodbye is a Second Chance</p>
<p>Pairing: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter</p>
<p>Tags: Angst, Post War, Breakup Fic</p>
<p>Summary: Sometimes you have to break in order to become stronger. Sometimes goodbye is a second chance.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter One</b>
</p>
<p>August 12, 2001 – London, UK</p>
<p>Harry had to look away as she packed her bags. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t watch as the love of his life packed her luggage and prepared to leave his life forever. It wasn’t possible. How could it be over? Just this morning they had been so happy together. How could one conversation go so bad?</p>
<p>Harry knew that if he were being honest with himself, that this had been coming on for ages, that really Hermione hadn’t been happy in months. But he’d shoved it aside because he was so stupidly in love with her, and he even now, he couldn’t face a life without her by his side. Hermione though, she was never one to look past problems. She’d face them head on. It was something that Harry admired about her. She was a true Gryffindor. But even she had ignored this for weeks and weeks.</p>
<p>But now, it was over. Hermione had come home from work, and told him.</p>
<p>“<em>I’m sorry, Harry, but this isn’t working. Between my crappy job and...and this, I just can’t keep doing this. I...I love you, and I’m pretty sure I always will, but I’m not happy and neither are you. Sometimes...sometimes love isn’t enough.”</em></p>
<p>She’d cried the entire time, but in the end, it was over. Harry had followed her to their bedroom and watched as she packed her stuff, quietly removing herself from their shared space almost as if she had never been there in the first place. Harry had watched for the first few minutes, hoping that she would change her mind or that she would claim that it had all been a huge joke. But she didn’t, and he’d had to look away.</p>
<p>It was over. What was there to live for now? Why had he even bothered to survive if this was all that he had to look forward to? Hermione was his everything, and had been since he was eleven years old. They’d dated since sixth year, and Harry had known that he would spend the rest of his life with her. It was the single thing had kept him going during the war, and was the only reason why he had lived through it. Hermione had constantly saved both his life and his sanity.</p>
<p>That she was soon to leave and never come back just seemed impossible. What had he done? What could he have done different.</p>
<p>Hermione had claimed that it wasn’t something he had done, but how could it not be? Obviously somewhere along the line he had done something to make her unhappy. Somewhere he had failed her.</p>
<p>Somewhere he’d failed her, and he couldn’t help but feel like he had to do something.</p>
<p>“Please...” He begged. “I...Just...tell me what I did. I can fix it. Please...”</p>
<p>Hermione let out a sob, but didn’t look at him. She just zipped her luggage shut and lifted it off their bed. He tried to stay in the doorway so that she couldn’t leave the room, but she squeezed past him, and Harry didn’t have it in him to grab her, even though he desperately wanted to. He wanted to squeeze and shake her and beg her to stay, to give him another chance.</p>
<p>Harry numbly followed her out of the bedroom and through their little flat, noticing already the blank spaces where Hermione’s little touches had contributed to their life in their home. It was all gone. Gone.</p>
<p>“Hermione…” Harry said, finally letting tears flow down his cheeks. This was too real, happening too fast. “Can...Please just stay.”</p>
<p>Hermione had made it to the door to their flat, but still didn’t look at him. She had one hand on the door handle with the other holding her luggage. She paused for a minute, which made Harry hope that just for a minute that she would stay, that she wouldn’t rip his heart out. But then she just whispered “goodbye,” before opening the door and slipping out of the flat, not once looking back at him.</p>
<p>If she had, she would have seen Harry fall to his knees as he watched her walk out of his life forever.</p>
<p>-:::-</p>
<p>August 14 2001</p>
<p>Harry had called in the day before, but even he couldn’t get out of work two days in a row. So he flooed into the Ministry and made his way to his little cubicle where he spent most of his time doing paperwork. Being an Auror was pretty much all he had ever wanted, but now it just seemed like a chore.</p>
<p>He sat at his desk and stared at the parchment on his desk. Each piece needed to be seen to and put in his outbox, but Harry couldn’t even think about working on it. It all just seemed so unimportant.</p>
<p>“Hey Harry, where were you yesterday?” Ron Weasley asked. Ron was Harry’s partner, something that they had wanted since fifth year at Hogwarts. “You missed a great day of paperwork.”</p>
<p>Harry just shook his head. How could he tell Ron that Hermione was gone, that he’d lost her? Ron, who had a crush on Hermione for as long as Harry could remember? Ron who had been so hurt when Harry and Hermione had started dating? What if Hermione and Ron started dating? Just the thought of Hermione with another man, even Ron, was sickening.</p>
<p>“Were you sick? I can’t remember the last time you actually got sick,” Ron said as he took a seat at the desk that was sitting across from Harry’s. Ron’s desk was much messier than Harry’s, which mean that Ron had a much harder time seeing Harry now that he was sitting down.</p>
<p>“No, I wasn’t sick,” Harry answered finally. “I just needed the day off.”</p>
<p>“Oh, did you and Hermione have big plans?” Ron asked. Ron had seemingly stopped being jealous of Harry and Hermione’s relationship, so much so that he could now ask innocuous things and actually sound sincere and interested.</p>
<p>Harry had to choke back a sob. “No.”</p>
<p>“Hey, what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>Harry sighed. Might as well just tell him. “Hermione broke up with me.”</p>
<p>Ron stared at Harry in shock, or at least Harry thought it looked like shock.</p>
<p>“What do you mean, she broke up with you?” Ron asked loudly.</p>
<p>“She ended it, Ron, what do you think it means.”</p>
<p>“But why?”</p>
<p>Harry shrugged. “She was unhappy, at least that’s what she said.”</p>
<p>“That doesn’t make any sense, mate. Hermione loves you. It took me a while to see it, but she does. What did you do?”</p>
<p>Harry closed his eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t know.”</p>
<p>“What are you going to do?” Ron asked. “I mean you’re going to try to win her back, right?”</p>
<p>“Ron, you know Hermione. Once she sets her mind on something, there’s no changing it. Besides, I’m pretty sure if my begging her to stay didn’t work, nothing will.”</p>
<p>“Oh, man, you begged.”</p>
<p>Harry just nodded miserably. He wasn’t terribly ashamed of begging Hermione to stay. He would have, and still would do anything for her to be with him...to come back to him. Begging didn’t seem that shameful when the alternative was being alone...forever.</p>
<p>Ron didn’t say anything more after that, and Harry was glad. There wasn’t anything left to say, not really. Hermione was gone and Harry was just going to have to learn to live without her.</p>
<p>Just the mere thought of it made Harry want to break down and weep.</p>
<p>-:::-</p>
<p>For the next twelve days, Harry Potter was a ghost of himself. He would wake up in the morning, look at the other side of the bed and think about the woman who had once slept there. He would take his shower, remembering the times he and Hermione had made love against the tiled wall. Harry would get dressed and go into work, knowing that it no longer mattered. Nothing mattered, because Hermione was gone.</p>
<p>Then he’d go home, open a bottle of Ogden’s Finest Firewhiskey, and he’d drink as much as he could before he passed out. Then he’d do it over again the next day.</p>
<p>Twelve days after Hermione left him, Harry thought about suicide for the first time and last time. He thought that it’d be easy, after all, who would care? Ron and the Weasleys had their own lives. Susan and Neville were married and were building their family together. Remus, Sirius and Harry’s parents were dead and gone. And Hermione didn’t love him anymore.</p>
<p>Who would care?</p>
<p>The thought scared the shite out of him, and caused him for the first time since Hermione had said goodbye to really think about what the future could be for him. There would be no Hermione. It was obvious that she wasn’t coming back. She still worked at the Ministry, and Harry had seen her at a distance three times since she’d left. She seemed okay. Harry couldn’t tell if their breakup was affecting her as much as it was him, but maybe it wasn’t. After all, she was the one who had left. Maybe leaving him was what she really needed to be happy.</p>
<p>That thought hurt and almost drove him back into the bottle.</p>
<p>But Harry decided that it was time to start living again. Or at least something like living. He knew that he couldn’t kill himself. He would not make his parent’s sacrifice be in vain, no matter how much it hurt to carry on.</p>
<p>He also knew that he couldn’t stay where he was. Living in the flat that he and Hermione had chosen together was killing him as sure as the whiskey that flowed through his veins. His job was also completely uninteresting to him now. Going into work each day was painful, and Harry knew that he needed a change. Also, seeing Hermione, even at a distance, was physically painful. All he wanted to do was go to her and beg her to come home. But he couldn’t do that. Not again. He had already begged and pleaded, and it hadn’t been enough. Even now, Harry didn’t know why she had left or what he could have done to make her see that he loved her and wanted to be with her for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>The only option that made sense to Harry was to leave Britain behind. Perhaps he could find somewhere new and make a new start. Harry knew it wouldn’t be easy. Moving on from Hermione seemed like a fool’s errand, an impossible one at that. But after the darkest of thoughts had passed, Harry knew that he had to try. He had to.</p>
<p>
  <b>Chapter Two </b>
</p>
<p>December 12, 2010 – Boston, Massachusetts, USA</p>
<p>Harry Potter sighed as he opened the door to his apartment. The grocery bag that he held in his right arm was astonishingly heavy and he just about to the point where he was either going to set it down or he was going to drop it all over the floor. How the bagger at the grocery store had expected him to carry the bag for any length of time was beyond Harry’s understanding.</p>
<p>After he had stumbled to his kitchen counter and deposited the paper bag full of foodstuffs, he sighed in relief and looked out over the small living room and kitchen area that mde up the main living space of his apartment.</p>
<p>It had taken him a long time to start calling it an apartment, but Harry had learned to do so eventually. His coworkers were not kind to him every time he slipped up and said the word flat. The mocking suggestions for Harry to go have some tea and crumpets had gotten old really fast.</p>
<p>The apartment was small and cozy, consisting only of a kitchen/living room combo, a small bedroom and a small bathroom. It was really all Harry needed and it was comfortable enough. In the four years he had been in Boston, Harry hadn’t ever really felt the need to have anything bigger, even if he could afford it. After all, Harry was sure that eventually the need to move would come upon him again and then it wouldn’t matter if he had a bigger apartment or not.</p>
<p>After he had left Britain, Harry had traveled the world, not staying in one place for more than a few weeks. He started in France and then traveled to Italy, Spain, and Germany. After that, he left Europe altogether and spent about a year traveling in Asia. Tokyo had been his favorite destination during that leg of his journey and he had spent six months there just taking in the sights and learning the culture.</p>
<p>Once he had left Asia, he had spent time in Australia before going to South America and spending a few years floating from country to country. In the end, he’d landed in the United States and had settled down. Four years was quite a long time, but Harry loved Boston. The atmosphere of the city was amazing, the weather was interesting in that it wasn’t the same <em>all the time</em> like it was in London – and it wasn’t so bloody hot all the time like it was in a lot of the other places he had spent time – and most importantly, it had a magical community that was more modern than anywhere else in the world.</p>
<p>Harry had spent a lot of time in magical communities around the world throughout his travels. The European magical community was very similar to Britain’s – namely biased towards those of ‘pure-blood’. Harry had found those communities very boring, and he hadn’t learned anything from them other than both Britain and Europe needed some kind of magical revolution. It all just seemed so stale.</p>
<p>Asia had been awesome, but still quite old fashioned it its way. The Chinese and Japanese each had their own way of doing things magically, but both cultures are so old that their way of doing things seemed just as set in stone as Europe’s. India was interesting in that their magical culture seemed to focus a lot more on ritual magic than anywhere else Harry had been – at least until he visited Australia, which had a lot of tribal ritual magical history.</p>
<p>South America was very diverse in some ways. There was still a trace in some communities of the Aztec and Myan cultures, which Harry found very fascinating. But mostly South America had been taken over by so much European influence that it just seemed like a more tropical version of Europe.</p>
<p>America was different. Americans – at least magical citizens of America – hated the British with a passion. Harry wasn’t quite sure why that hatred had endured in the magical community and not in the muggle one, but to him it didn’t matter. The magical community in the United States had taken pains to be as dissimilar to the British as possible. They embraced muggle technology – and improved upon it with magic – and they didn’t shy away from being as inclusive as possible.</p>
<p>Even Harry, who was about as British as could be, was accepted almost immediately. Granted, Harry’s American friends did their damnedest to ‘Americanize’ Harry as much as possible – hence the heckling for the use of British-isms like flat vs apartment.</p>
<p>That different culture drew Harry in, which is why he had stuck around for so long. He had gotten himself a job at one of the many magical pubs in Boston working as a bartender. It wasn’t something that he had ever done before, but it was actually quite fun. Harry got to interact with people and listen to their stories all the while being almost completely ignored by everyone. He spent his nights at work, and then during the day he studied at Boston University.</p>
<p>Boston University was a muggle school that had a magical branch. It was quite awesome, and when Harry had found out about it, he had decided that he wanted to get a mastery. It was something that would fill up his time and he had become quite happy when he was learning new things. A small voice in his head – one that Harry thoroughly ignored – told him that the reason why he had become so enamored with learning was because of <em>her, </em>but that was beside the point.</p>
<p>Harry sighed. It had been a long day, and his introspective mood was not a good sign for a proper night sleep. Whenever he thought about the past and his journey around the world, he inevitably dreamed about things that were better off forgotten. Things like <em>her</em>.</p>
<p>Harry hadn’t kept up with news in Britain after he had left Europe. For one thing, it was much harder to get British newspapers outside of the EU, but really that was just the excuse Harry used for not paying attention to his home country. The truth was that Harry stopped looking at British newspapers when he had seen Hermione – <em>her</em><span> – </span><span>on the arm of Draco Malfoy. Apparently the two had begun dating not long after Harry had left England. </span></p>
<p>That had been a blow that Harry wasn’t sure he could survive. Hermione had left him for Malfoy? The ferret?</p>
<p>After that, Harry avoided any news from his home country. He didn’t want to know. He had done his best to do what he had set out to do: move on.</p>
<p>
  <span>With another sigh, Harry walked to his refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. Thinking of </span>
  <em>her</em>
  <span> always made melancholy, and Harry knew that meant that he hadn’t done a very good job of moving on. But he couldn’t help it. He still loved her, even now nine years after she had broken his heart. </span>
</p>
<p>That was the damn problem. Harry Potter would always love Hermione Granger. No matter what.</p>
<p>-:::-</p>
<p>December 13 2010</p>
<p>Harry grinned at the pretty young girl who was sitting at his bar. She had been there for a while and she was quite talkative. She was apprenticing with a potions master, and apparently the man was a bit handsy.</p>
<p>“Every damn morning he grabs my ass. I tell him to stop, but does he? No, of course not! And what can I do about it? It isn’t like getting an apprenticeship is easy! It’s too bad that potions isn’t something that is taught at the university.”</p>
<p>She took a sip of her fruity cocktail and sighed dramatically.</p>
<p>“I really can’t wait until this is over. Then I won’t have to put up with a seventy year old man grabbing my ass every day. And the things he says! I mean I know old people get away with a lot of things, because they are old, but he can’t seriously think that it’s okay to call me those terribly sexist names? Can he?”</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl didn’t wait for Harry to answer, and instead just kept going on and on about her woes. That didn’t bother Harry. He was there to listen, and besides, the bar was very quiet. </span>
  <span>Honestly, if it weren’t for the cute co-ed, Harry was quite sure that he’d have closed up early and gone home for the night. Tuesday nights were almost always empty for whatever reason. </span>
</p>
<p>After a half hour, even the cute girl was gone, and Harry was slowly making his way through detail cleaning the shelving that stored some of the bar’s most expensive liquors. He was admiring a bottle of muggle whiskey that he knew he’d never be able to afford on his salary when the bell over the door sounded, signaling that someone new had entered the bar.</p>
<p>“I didn’t think this was your type of gig,” a familiar voice sounded out behind him. Harry spun on his heel, dropping the insanely expensive bottle of whiskey on the floor. Standing there looking at him with like it was the most normal thing in the world was Draco Malfoy, the white ferret himself. Harry could have imagined many ways that he’d come face to face with someone from his past. He’d dreamed of coming face to face with Hermione again of course, but he’d also thought of seeing Ron, Luna and Neville again in some oddly specific yet weird circumstances. There was nothing that had prepared him for coming face to face with Draco Malfoy, however.</p>
<p>“Malfoy?” Harry asked shocked. “What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>“<span>Ah...I...uh...” Harry would have laughed in other circumstances, as he’d never seen Draco Malfoy look so uncomfortable. As it was, Harry was much too confused to find it humorous. “I actually came here because I need your help.”</span></p>
<p>“My help?” Harry repeated, finally moving out of the puddle of alcohol he had been standing in. “What could you possibly need my help with? And how did you find me?”</p>
<p>“It wasn’t that hard, Potter. The Malfoy’s have contacts all around the world, and you are the most well-known wizard in the world.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Harry said, drawing out the word. “And you thought that you could just come here and ask for my help.”</p>
<p>Draco looked down at his feet. “I...dammit. Potter, Hermione is missing and I need to find her.”</p>
<p>Harry froze and looked sharply at his old childhood enemy. Hermione was missing? “What...how long has she been missing?”</p>
<p>“Six months.”</p>
<p>“<span>Six months!” Harry shouted. “How did she disappear?”</span></p>
<p>Malfoy looked down at his feet again. Harry was getting really sick of Malfoy avoiding his gaze. It made the ferret look guilty. “We had a fight, and she walked out, okay? I said some terrible things and I know she won’t forgive me, but no one has seen her since she left Malfoy Manor. She didn’t take anything with her except her wand. She didn’t show up for work the next day, and as far as I can tell she hasn’t even accessed her account at Gringotts.”</p>
<p>“Hermione has muggle accounts, she has since her parents died. So not accessing her magical money doesn’t mean anything,” Harry said.</p>
<p>“I, uh, didn’t know that.”</p>
<p>Of course he didn’t, Harry thought snidely. Hermione wasn’t one to tout about her wealth to anyone. Harry had only found out because he’d been there for her when her parents were killed and had helped her through the subsequent days and months.</p>
<p>“How do you know she isn’t just in the muggle world somewhere? Somewhere you can’t find her?” Harry asked.</p>
<p>“I don’t. I don’t. It just feels like something sinister has happened, and I really can’t lose her. Look, Potter, I know that you left for a reason, and that Hermione hurt you, but I’ve tried everything. The Aurors won’t look for her because she’s a muggleborn, and even the private investigator that I hired couldn’t find her. You know her better than anyone else, or at least you did, I just...” Malfoy looked away again, “I need to find her, even if she will never take me back.”</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry sighed. He really truly doubted that Hermione was in any danger. She had a reputation of running off when she was hurt. She was probably in Muggle London right now nursing her wounds. Harry noticed that </span>
  <span>Malfoy wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, which meant that he and Hermione weren’t married. That thought made Harry happy, though admittedly he knew that there wasn’t anything to feel good about in that situation. Harry knew that Hermione wasn’t going to show up and confess her mistake and undying love for him. It had happened a few time in dreams, but Harry knew that was all it would ever be. </span>
</p>
<p>“How do you think I can help? I mean I don’t think that it would do any good for me to go to London and start searching for her. Was there any sign of wrong doing at all?”</p>
<p>Malfoy shook his head. “No. Nothing. I just can’t see her abandoning everyone like this. Sure I fucked up, and drove her away, but even when she left you, she didn’t just leave everyone else.” Harry winced. “Sorry. But it’s true. She’s working as the Undersecretary for Internal Affairs now, and she worked really hard to get that job. She wouldn’t just leave it, not when she finally started to make progress. And...Well, she wouldn’t just leave the Weasleys behind either. She and Ron are still really close despite our relationship.”</p>
<p>“Has Ron heard from her?” Harry asked.</p>
<p>“<span>No, he says he hasn’t.”</span></p>
<p>“Would he tell you the truth? I mean if you hurt her, Ron would have her back. I’m surprised he didn’t punch you in the face.”</p>
<p>“He doesn’t know that she left after we had a fight...”</p>
<p>Harry shook his head. “Then I should punch you in the face. What did you say to her anyways?”</p>
<p>“<span>I...” Draco flopped down at the bar. “I may have called her a mudblood and told her that if she were pureblood </span><span>I would love her more.</span><span>”</span></p>
<p>Harry scowled.</p>
<p>“But I don’t see her like that, it just came out! It was like I was fourteen again and the girl I had a crush on had just punched me in the face. I just retaliated. I didn’t mean it.”</p>
<p>“<span>There’s no way she isn’t just </span><span>staying as far away from you as possible. How long were you two together anyways?”</span></p>
<p>“Wait, you knew we were together?”</p>
<p>“I saw you in the newspaper years ago.”</p>
<p>
  <span>Malfoy nodded. “We were together eight years. I thought she was the one, you know? But every time we discussed marriage, she shied away from it. </span>
  <span>Honestly, I think she was still hung up on you. It was one of the things we were arguing about.”</span>
</p>
<p>“She broke up with me nine years ago, Malfoy. She didn’t love me enough to stay with me, there’s no way she was still hung up on me all these years later,” Harry scoffed. The idea was ludicrous, even if the through sent warmth running through him. What he said was true though. Harry had had a lot of time over the last nine years to think about why Hermione might have left him. There was still the possibility that he had done something wrong, but Harry didn’t think that was the case. He had treated Hermione like a queen, and while they argued sometimes, he was always quick to apologize for being a git. He was there for her always, cutting off work when he needed to, and he was even romantic, making sure he was always striving to be the man that Hermione deserved.</p>
<p>But it hadn’t been enough. As Hermione had said when she had walked away, sometimes love isn’t enough. Harry had come to terms that no matter how much he had loved Hermione Granger, she hadn’t loved him back enough to stay with him.</p>
<p>“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Potter, but it doesn’t matter. Will you help me or not?”</p>
<p>“I can’t just hop over to the UK right now, Malfoy. I’ve got a job here and friends. I will, however, take some time off and spend this weekend there. I’ll check some of her favorite places in the muggle world, and I’ll talk to Ron. If she’s contacted him, he’ll tell me. If that’s the case, I won’t tell you about it because there will be a good reason why Ron hasn’t said anything to you.”</p>
<p>“<span>Fine. </span><span>I...I just need to know that she’s alright. If she is, and wants to be left alone, I will respect that.”</span></p>
<p>Harry just nodded and then watched as Malfoy exited the bar. The entire situation was crazy. How did Malfoy expect him to help? Surely there were other options. Harry hadn’t seen or heard from Hermione Granger since she had walked out of their relationship in 2001. Nine years was a long time. Harry seriously doubted that he was going to be the one to find her.</p>
<p>But he had to try. If there was a single chance that she was in danger, Harry knew that he would do anything in his power to make sure she was safe.</p>
<p>After all, he was still in love with her. Dammit.</p>
<p>
  <b>Chapter Three</b>
</p>
<p>December 16, 2010 – Heathrow Airport, London, UK</p>
<p>Harry stepped out of the airport and into his home country for the first time in nine years. It was raining – because of course it was – and everything looked dull and grey compared to the fluffy piles of white snow back in Boston. Harry thought it looked wretched, but he wasn’t going to be staying long. Once he exited the airport proper, he caught a cab and had it take him to a corner near Grimmauld Place. Harry apparated from there to just outside of the Rookery’s wards. Ron and Luna had been together when Harry had left Britain, and he knew they had been planning on getting married at that point. He hoped that they had kept the Rookery and that he wouldn’t have to make a huge deal of his return by visiting the Burrow.</p>
<p>“It has been a long time since I’ve seen you, Harry Potter,” A dreamy voice sounded from just beside him. Harry jumped and spun around so violently he ended up falling on his ass.</p>
<p>“Luna! You scared me half to death!” Harry shouted.</p>
<p>“Well, you weren’t paying much attention then were you,” Luna said. “Welcome back, Harry. I assume you are here looking for Hermione, then.”</p>
<p>Harry almost smiled. It was nice to know that Luna hadn’t changed that much. She was still a bit loony and was still able to know things that she wasn’t supposed to know.</p>
<p>“I need to talk to Ron. Malfoy came to see me, but I’m sure that if Hermione was gone she would at least tell Ron where she was going.”</p>
<p>“Very well, then. Come inside. Ron just sat down to breakfast.”</p>
<p>The rookery looked much the same as it had during the war – before it had been blown up and rebuilt – but it was also more homey feeling, something that Harry suspected was a result of Ron living there.</p>
<p>Ron was sitting at the table stuffing his face, which made Harry smile. This was another thing that looked like it hadn’t changed once bit. Ron still loved his food.</p>
<p>“Ronald,” Luna said, walking behind her husband. “You have a visitor.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Ron wiped his face off with a napkin and looked towards the door where Harry was still standing. “Harry?” Ron asked, shocked.</p>
<p>“<span><span>Hello, Ron.”</span></span></p>
<p>The next thing Harry knew he was lying on the ground holding his nose. “Ouch,” he said flatly.</p>
<p>“You prick! You just left and you never came back! I mean I knew you were going, but I thought that you’d eventually get back, and I at least thought you’d send a damn postcard from time to time, but did you, no!</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>No, I lost my best mate and </span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>with </span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>Hermione started dating Malfoy, </span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>it felt like I lost you both.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>Harry worked himself up into a sitting position, but didn’t stand. For one, he was a little woozy – Ron sure packed a good punch – for another, he wasn’t going to stand eye to eye with Ron and let the red head hit him again. “I’m sorry. I...I just couldn’t stay.”</p>
<p>“I know that, Harry. I know that. I know that she hurt you. But you could have kept in touch, maybe let me visit. Luna and I travel all the time. We could have come and visited you wherever you were.”</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Harry just hung his head. The truth was that he hadn’t thought much about Ron in the years since he had been gone. </span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>Harry had needed the clean break from everything because everything, including Ron himself, reminded him of Hermione and what he had lost. “</span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>I’m sorry.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>Ron sighed and then held out a hand, which Harry accepted. “I forgive you, you git. Goodness knows you forgave me for a lot of shite during our younger years.”</p>
<p>Harry grinned as he stood. He then used his grip on Ron’s hand to pull him into a manly hug. “I missed you, mate. I really am sorry that I didn’t keep in touch.”</p>
<p>“Well, I missed you too. Now what are you doing here?” Ron asked when he pulled away.</p>
<p>“Hermione...”</p>
<p>Ron groaned. “Malfoy hunted you down and told you she was missing, didn’t he?”</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>“Well, you needn’t worry. Hermione is fine. She told me she was leaving, but she told me not to tell anyone. I haven’t told anyone other than Lu and you just now. I won’t tell you where she is, but she’s safe.”</p>
<p>“It’s not like her to abandon her job,” Harry said, frowning. “That was what worried me. She wouldn’t have just walked away from the Ministry.”</p>
<p>“Whatever Malfoy said to her convinced her that nothing was ever going to change,” Ron said sadly. “And I think she’s right. Despite working herself to the bone, she’s only in a mid-level administration position, and she only got that because Kinglsey is still Minister. She wasn’t ever going to get any higher than that, even if Shacklebolt stays in office for another five or ten years. And if I know Malfoy at all, he probably called her a mudblood.”</p>
<p>“He did. He told me he said some really nasty things.”</p>
<p>“Oh, are you chums now?”</p>
<p>“No, but I made him tell me what he said.”</p>
<p>“Well, it doesn’t surprise me at all. I didn’t think he had changed that much, and I never knew what Hermione saw in him. But she told me he had ambitions but that he had changed enough. Those were her exact words.”</p>
<p>“Ambitions.”</p>
<p>Now Ron looked a bit uncomfortable. “Yeah. Hermione said that the reason she liked him was that he wanted something from life...she said that was the reason why she left you.”</p>
<p>Harry’s eyes widened. “Wait, she told you why she broke up with me?”</p>
<p>“<span><span>Yeah, though I don’t think she told me everything. About a year after you left and a few weeks after she and Malfoy became an item, </span></span><span><span>I sat her down and asked her point blank why she was with Malfoy of all people when I knew she still loved you. Apparently, and again this is what she told me, you weren’t ambitious enough for her. All you wanted was to settle down and be an Auror.”</span></span></p>
<p>“I...I don’t even know what to say to that,” Harry said, sitting down and accepting a cup of tea from Luna. “Thanks Luna. How are you?”</p>
<p>“<span><span>Oh, I’m well, Harry Potter. </span></span><span><span>The stomach problems have finally settled down.”</span></span></p>
<p>Harry looked at her curiously. Ron grinned and grasped his wife’s hand. “Lu is pregnant, Harry.”</p>
<p>“Wow! Congratulations!” Harry exclaimed happily. He ignored the feeling of jealousy in his stomach. He wanted a family so bad, but the only one he had ever wanted a family with claimed he wasn’t ambitious enough for her. That hurt quite a bit, and Harry knew he would be dwelling on it for a long time to come.</p>
<p>“<span><span>Thank you, Harry,” Luna said with a smile. “Would you like some breakfast?”</span></span></p>
<p>“No, thank you. I ate on the plane.”</p>
<p>“Are you staying in Britain now?” Ron asked.</p>
<p>Harry shook his head. “No, I have a job to get back to. I live in Boston now. I will give you my address and phone number, and you’re welcome to visit any time. I’ll also write letters now, if that’s okay.”</p>
<p>“You damn well better. We have a phone, so I’ll call you. Maybe you can get an international portkey from time to time and we can go see a quidditch match together?”</p>
<p>“That would be fun. America has QuadPot, which is really cool too, so maybe you could come see one of those games with me?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know what that is, but it sounds fun, so that’d be awesome.”</p>
<p>The two men grinned at each other like old times.</p>
<p>Harry looked down at the table for a moment before looking back at Ron. “What should I do about Malfoy? He doesn’t seem like the type to give up. I don’t know if he’s sincere or not. He seemed like he just wanted to apologize to Hermione, but it’s Malfoy, he could have been playing me.”</p>
<p>“<span><span>I don’t know. The times I saw them together, they looked like they loved each other. I never got the impression that Malfoy abused her in any way, and he doted on her for a long time. But they never moved beyond dating, and I’m not sure why. I don’t know if it was Hermione who didn’t want to commit or </span></span><span><span>if it was Malfoy. Hermione and I are still close, but she knows how I feel about the ferret, so we don’t talk about their relationship much. </span></span></p>
<p>“As for what you should do, I don’t know. I guess you could go see him and tell him that you couldn’t find her. Technically it’s true. He doesn’t have a chance of finding her.”</p>
<p>“She’s back in the muggle world, then?”</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <span>Ron blushed. “I shouldn’t say, but yes. </span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>That’s all I will say, because she really doesn’t want to see anyone.”</span>
  </span>
</p>
<p>“I don’t think I would go hunt her down anyways. I mean it’s been nine years, I doubt that she would be happy to see me.”</p>
<p>Ron looked at him shrewdly. “I don’t think that is right, but I’m keeping out of it. Hermione is stubborn. She and I might not have talked much about her relationship with Malfoy, but I always felt like she wasn’t invested in it like she had been with your relationship with her.”</p>
<p>“I should go. I’ll try to put off Malfoy. Maybe I’ll tell him to write her a letter.”</p>
<p>“That might be a good idea, I don’t know. She’d probably just burn it. I’ve never seen her so mad as she was when she came to me after their fight. I’m surprised she didn’t kill him.”</p>
<p>Harry said his goodbye to the Weasleys, and made his way away from the Rookery. It had been good to see them both, and it didn’t scare him to think that he might be a part of their lives once again, even if it remained at a distance. Harry had no interest at all in living in England again. None, whatsoever.</p>
<p>-:::-</p>
<p>December 16, 2010 – Oxford, United Kingdom</p>
<p>Hermione Granger sat on the ledge of the window of her new flat and looked out at the peaceful city of Oxford. The old city was beautiful in almost every way. It had all the modern things a city should have, but it still hadn’t lost the ancient feel that came with hosting one of the world’s oldest universities. She’d chosen Oxford because it was where her parents had lived and gone to school, and where she would have gone to school if she hadn’t found out about magic.</p>
<p>Oxford was also big enough that Hermione felt safe without being so big that she felt overwhelmed. She knew that Draco would probably look for her, but she didn’t want him to find her. Not yet. She knew that if she saw the little worm she’d hex him into the next century. She wasn’t sure when that anger would go away either.</p>
<p>That night had been the worst of her life. Well, maybe not the worse, but it was close. Everything she had worked for, everything she hoped for, seemed worthless because of him, and Hermione was sure she would never be able to forgive him. When he had uttered that hated word, it seemed like everything she had worked for was for naught. Nothing was ever going to change, and Draco was just further proof of the futility of trying to change a society that simply didn’t ever want to change.</p>
<p>So she had slapped him, told him it was over, and left. She had gone back to her Diagon Alley flat, packed her things, left a note for her landlord, and talked to Ron. She told him a little of what had happened, and that she needed to leave, and then she had left. Hermione knew herself well, and knew that she had no interest in ever living or working in the magical world.</p>
<p>It had been coming for years, if she were honest with herself. Ever since she’d started at the Ministry she had been disillusioned by the rate of change that the Ministry had seemed comfortable with. With every idea she had, she faced insurmountable resistance on almost every front. Kingsley Shacklebolt was very much on her side, and he promoted her as fast as he could, but they seemed to be the only two people in the Ministry who wanted change at all. The Minister in Britain had a lot of power, but without allies in the Wizengamot, he was limited on the number of changes he could make. Hermione had alienated herself time and time again with the purebloods who held the true power in wizarding Britain. They thought of her as only an uppity mudblood who had ideas and ambitions above her station.</p>
<p>It was, embarrassingly enough, why she had broken up with Harry. Hermione had loved him beyond words, but she thought that she needed to do more and that he was the one holding her back. It was also why she had, nine months after the end of her relationship with Harry, started to see Draco Malfoy. The Malfoy name was well known and well respected in Britain, and the purebloods loved Draco.</p>
<p>Hermione had thought that Draco had changed. He could still be arrogant, but he was also kind, intelligent, and above all else, ambitious. After the war, it seemed like Draco wouldn’t be opposed to changes in the magical world, and she had hoped that not only could she have a partner who was as ambitious as her, but who would be able to politically support her.</p>
<p>She had been wrong, but not in the way she had feared. Draco had supported her politically during their relationship, but all it had led to was the pureblood establishment shunning him in addition to mocking him for sullying his blood with a muggleborn. Hermione had stuck around with Draco because she had come to truly care for him, and she’d already made the mistake of choosing her career and ambitions over a loved one once, she didn’t want to do it again simply because she had gotten into a relationship for the wrong reasons.</p>
<p>But she had never agreed to marry him. That had always pissed Draco off, mostly because he didn’t understand why. Hermione at first didn’t understand either. She loved him, but she wasn’t interested in marrying him. But she didn’t tell him that, she just put him off every time he asked. It was cowardly, but how could Hermione tell him that the reason why she wouldn’t marry him was because the only person she had ever wanted to marry was Harry Potter?</p>
<p>Her constant refusal to commit had made him hate her, Hermione was sure. That was why he had called her a mudblood, and said all of those nasty things. But it was just a sign to her that her fears were realized: nothing was ever going to change, no matter how much she wanted them to.</p>
<p>So she left. Oxford was a great place, and Hermione was making an effort to catch up on her muggle education so that she could follow in her parent’s footsteps and attend the great university.</p>
<p>Hermione was lonely, but that was okay. She’d never been good at making friends and that hadn’t changed. She missed Harry.</p>
<p>She always missed Harry. She feared that she always would. Too bad she’d never see him again, and it was all her fault.</p>
<p>-:::-</p>
<p>
  <b>December 21 2010 – Boston, MA, USA</b>
</p>
<p>Harry flopped down on his couch and sighed deeply. His trip to England had been a tiring experience. As good as it had been to see Ron and Luna, dealing with Malfoy was always exhausting.</p>
<p>Malfoy hadn’t believed Harry when he’d said that he couldn’t find Hermione. Granted, by not sticking around in the country for more than a couple days, Harry figured that it probably seemed like he hadn’t put that much effort into finding the ‘missing’ witch. He hadn’t, after all. Ron wouldn’t lie to him about Hermione’s safety. No matter what, the trio’s history together meant that they were all invested in making sure the others were safe and happy. It was why Ron had forgiven Harry so easily, and why Harry had done the same in the past.</p>
<p>But Harry didn’t care about Malfoy’s disbelief. As long as the blond ferret didn’t pose a threat to Hermione then the man could continue to hunt forever for all Harry cared. He knew that Malfoy would never be able to find Hermione in the muggle world, he just simply didn’t have the skillset to do so.</p>
<p>On a more personal level, the trip to Britain was jarring for Harry. He’d done his best to not live in his past over the last nine years. The first few years had not been easy, and more often than not Harry had thought about going back to Britain and begging Hermione to give him another chance. But the further he got from the hurt and heartbreak, the more he was able to ignore it and live his life.</p>
<p>It was why he was eventually able to settle down in Boston. It felt like he could finally start outrunning his past and maybe create a future for himself. Harry knew that he’d never love someone as much as he had loved Hermione, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still be happy.</p>
<p>Now that he had been back to his homeland, it felt like he had taken a giant step back. Emotionally, Harry felt wrecked, and he didn’t know how to deal with the fact that at least some parts of his past were going to become part of his life again. Ron was his best mate. Or at least he had been. Was he again? Could he be?</p>
<p>Harry had made new friends, and while he wasn’t as close to them as he had been Ron and Hermione, he still felt close to them. Was there room somewhere in there for a long distance friendship with Ron?</p>
<p>And what about Hermione? Would they cross paths again? Did he want to cross paths with her again? Harry knew he still loved her, he always would. But she had broken his heart for some sort of ambitious plan or perhaps because of his own lack of ambition. Even now it seemed do out of character for Hermione to break up with him for such a reason.</p>
<p>But none of that answered the question. If his rekindled friendship with Ron led to Hermione crossing his path again, what would Harry do? Did he want that?</p>
<p>Harry didn’t know. He just didn’t know, and that more than anything, worried him, because he had thought that he was done with the days where Hermione Granger could upset him so much.</p>
<p>
  <b>Chapter Four</b>
</p>
<p>May 29 2011 – Boston, MA, USA [this part is weak]</p>
<p>Ron Weasley looked around at the quaint little neighborhood. Harry had been right about how beautiful Boston was, and Ron was upset that he hadn’t had a chance to visit before now. But in the six months since Harry had come back into his life, he and Luna had just been too busy. With a child on the way, neither one could take time off of work for travel, no matter how much they wanted to.</p>
<p>Now, though, Ron needed to talk to Harry, and Luna agreed with him that it needed to be face to face. After looking around a bit more, Ron made his way towards the apartment building in front of him. With a cool push of a button, Ron had contacted Harry.</p>
<p>“Ron? What are you doing here?” Harry’s grainy voice came through a speaker hanging on the wall.</p>
<p>“Hiya, Harry! Can you let a bloke in? I need to talk to you about something.”</p>
<p>“Why didn’t you call?”</p>
<p>“I need to talk face to face, now let me in.”</p>
<p>The door buzzed, and Ron grinned. Muggle tech was awesome. Maybe his dad had been right all these years. Ron made his way up to the third floor where he knew Harry lived. He found his best mate at the door to his flat – apartment, apparently – looking confused.</p>
<p>“Is something wrong?” Harry asked.</p>
<p>“No. I just need to ask you something, and it needed to be in person.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Harry said, drawing out the word and moving out of the doorway, letting his friend enter his apartment.</p>
<p>Ron followed Harry, and took the seat that Harry offered. The flat looked pretty much like what Ron thought it would look like: spartan decorations and furniture, just enough to make it look livable, but nothing personal. Harry hadn’t ever been one to care about material possessions, and Ron knew that without the influence of a woman – namely Hermione Granger – Harry would default to simple living. To Ron it all just affirmed his thoughts that Harry was lonely.</p>
<p>The letters that they had exchanged in the months since Harry’s visit to Britain, had made Ron and Luna believe that Harry was just barely content in his life. They never heard of friends or parties or anything that indicated that Harry had much of a social life, and they never, ever heard of a woman in Harry’s life. Luna thought it was sad. Ron thought that his two best friends were idiots, but he would keep his own council.</p>
<p>“You’re sure nothing is wrong?” Harry asked. “I mean, I know you and Luna were planning on visiting after the baby is born.”</p>
<p>“And we are, but I needed to ask you something. Luna and I have been talking and we’ve made our decision on godparents.”</p>
<p>“Oh, that’s great, Ron. Neville and Hermione will be great godparents.”</p>
<p>“Neville isn’t our choice for godfather, Harry.”</p>
<p>Harry frowned. “Okay. Then who is?”</p>
<p>“You are, actually,” Ron said with a smirk. “You weren’t there for our wedding, Harry, but we still want you to be part of our family. That’s why I came now, because the baby is due in just a few days. I know we should have told you sooner, but we put it off to the last minute.”</p>
<p>Harry stared at his friend in shock. Godfather? Him? Harry’s one experience with being a godfather had not worked out that well. Andromeda Tonks had not accepted Harry as young Teddy’s godfather, and had in fact, blamed Harry for her daughter’s death. That had hurt quite a lot, and had been one of the reasons why it had been fairly easy for Harry to leave Britain in the first place.</p>
<p>“Ron, I don’t know if I could be a good godfather,” Harry said cautiously. “I mean, I’m not even living in the same country, and I have no plans to come back to Britain right now. Neville would be a much better choice. I’m not saying I won’t visit or that I won’t be a part of your kid’s life, but a godfather should be closer than I ever will be.”</p>
<p>“If you really don’t want to, Harry, I’ll understand, but I really would like it to be you.”</p>
<p>Harry sighed. “What about Hermione, she’s going to be godmother?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, Luna was going to ask her this morning.”</p>
<p>Harry groaned. This was too complicated. His life for years was simple and he liked it that way. Now this was just going to mess everything up again. Dammit.</p>
<p>“Come on, Harry, most people would be honored, you know?” Ron said.</p>
<p>“It’s not that, I’m just not sure if I’m the right choice. But...fine, I’ll do it. What do you need from me? I know there’s a magical oath.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, we’ll do that. You’ll need to be around for the birth. The oath needs to be given within a day of the baby being born.”</p>
<p>Harry groaned again. It looked like he was going back to England. Double dammit!</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A/B/O Story Untitled</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Title: That Most Amazing Feeling</p>
<p>Pairing: Harry Potter/Hermione Granger</p>
<p>Tags: smut, a/b/o, dom!Harry, sub!Hermione, au, Ravenclaw!Hermione</p>
<p>Summary:</p>
<p>Author’s Note: In order for this to be not too young, Hogwarts starts at age 13, so in Harry’s fourth year, he’s 16 and Hermione will be 17.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>-:::-</p>
<p>It all started in their fourth year. Harry was not a happy camper, mostly because his plan for a normal year had been shot to hell on Halloween when his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire. The entire school turned against him in a matter of seconds, and it just pissed him off. Harry had decided during the summer that he was going to have a normal year. No dork lords, no basilisks, no dementors. Nothing idiotic or life threatening. Just normal. Maybe some quidditch and some exploding snap, perhaps a girlfriend and some snogging.</p>
<p>But noooooo. Of course not. No, Harry should have known better. He didn’t do normal.</p>
<p>Instead, he was forced into a tournament where 90 percent of the pervious participants died or were maimed for life. With the entire school against him, it was even harder because he had no support. His best mate Ron was leading the charge of those who were calling Harry a cheater, while the staff seemingly ignored the entire situation, as per usual. Harry was so angry about the situation that he took to wandering the halls of Hogwarts Castle under his invisibility cloak in order to keep out of people’s way. He just knew that if he had to hear the words cheater and glory hound one more time, he was going to scream and curse and kill, and probably not in that order.</p>
<p>No, Harry was not a happy young man.</p>
<p>Of course, to top it off, his hormones had decided to kick in and he couldn’t stop staring at Hermione Granger of all people. The young Ravenclaw witch was not a friend, and in fact, Harry couldn’t remember a single time where he had ever spoken to the girl. But now all he could do was look at her. Worse were the dreams.</p>
<p>The dreams of dragging her into a closet and kissing her senseless, of ravaging her and biting and <em>fucking</em><span>. Harry had had sex dreams before, of course, but </span><span>this was new. He’d never dreamed of dominating a witch before and it made him feel uneasy. If it had gone away after one dream, Harry wouldn’t have thought much of it, but it was every night since he’d come back to school. </span></p>
<p>It was just after the first task, during which he’d had to outfly a dragon, that things came to a head. Harry was in the library looking for clues to the second task when he spotted the object of his obsession – for that is what it had become, an obsession – talking to Viktor Krum. At first, Harry thought nothing of it, after all, it wasn’t Harry’s business as to who Granger talked to.</p>
<p>But then Krum had placed a hand on Hermione’s shoulder and Harry literally saw red. The next thing he knew, he had somehow made his way over to Granger’s table and ripped Krum away from her, shoving the much larger wizard to the ground. Harry had taken his wand out of his holser and pointed it at Krum, while snarling “Stay away from her!”</p>
<p>It wasn’t until Madame Pince had shown up that Harry had even realized where he was and what he was doing. He quickly pulled his wand up and away from the quivering man who remained sprawled on the library floor.</p>
<p>“Mr. Potter! What is the meaning of this?” Madame Pince asked sternly. Even angry – and she was clearly very angry – the librarian did not shout. Harry didn’t think that the woman could shout, but her stern voice was enough to make any student hide away in fear.</p>
<p>“<span>I...I don’t know. I’m sorry. I didn’t even know I was doing it or...or why, I just knew he couldn’t touch her!” Harry said, confused. He looked to where Hermione was looking at him with wide fearful eyes, and winced. He had scared her, and for some reason, this hurt him more than anything ever had, which led to more confusion.</span></p>
<p>Pince’s eyes narrowed further. “I see. Put your wand away, Potter. You and I will be going to the Headmaster. You too, Granger. Krum you can go. And maybe next time keep your hands off, hmm?”</p>
<p>
  <span>The librarian then spun on her heels and started to walk out of the library. Harry followed, not daring to look </span>
  <span>too closely</span>
  <span> at Granger, who was staring at him oddly, the look of fear now gone from her </span>
  <span>beautiful</span>
  <span> features. </span>
  <span>Pince led them up several flights of stairs, but instead of leading them to the </span>
  <span>Headmaster's</span>
  <span> office as she had said, she led them to the infirmary, a place that Harry was very familiar with. </span>
</p>
<p>“Uh, Madame Pince? Is the Headmaster in the infirmary?”</p>
<p>“No, Potter. I just said that in order to keep Krum from complaining about your foolish attempts to mark your territory. He does not need to know what’s going on, as it is none of his business. No, you need to talk to Madame Pomfrey.”</p>
<p>“But I’m not sick?”</p>
<p>Prince just looked back over her shoulder and smirked at him. Then she pushed open the doors to the infirmary and called out for the school healer.</p>
<p>“<span>Potter,” Pomfrey exclaimed when she saw him. “What happened this time?”</span></p>
<p>Harry ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged. “I don’t know.”</p>
<p>Madame Pomfrey looked towards Madame Pince and raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Potter has found himself,” the librarian said softly. “And he has found his omega.”</p>
<p>Pomfrey looked shocked for a moment and then glanced at Hermione, who, Harry noticed, looked shocked. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks were flushed. Harry turned away, being even more confused than he had been. Omega? Found himself? Harry was pretty clueless most of the time, he could admit that, but he was pretty sure he knew where he was most of the time. He hadn’t been lost in the castle since first year. Well, there was that one time last year, but he’d had a bit to drink thanks to the Weasley twins, and he couldn’t find his way back to the common room, but really, who’s keeping track?</p>
<p>“<span>That’s very fascinating,” Pomfrey said. “Thank you for</span><span> bringing them to me, Irma. I will explain what is going on.”</span></p>
<p>Pince nodded, and left the two teens alone with the school matron.</p>
<p>“I’m sure you’re confused. Mr. Potter, can you explain what happened just now?”</p>
<p>“<span>I...I don’t really know. I was looking for books on mermaids and breathing underwater, and I saw Granger talking to Viktor Krum. I didn’t think much of it, but then he put a hand on her shoulder and I just lost it. Before I knew it I had thrown him to the ground and snarled at him and I felt like killing him for touching her.”</span></p>
<p>“<span>So you felt possessive?” Pomfrey asked. </span></p>
<p>Harry blushed, thinking about his dreams. He would not be talking about those, so he just shrugged and looked anywhere but at the school’s healer.</p>
<p>“I figured as much.” Madame Pomfrey turned to Hermione. “Ms. Granger, I assume you now know what is going on?”</p>
<p>“Yes, ma’am. I didn’t until Madame Pince brought us here, though. I just thought Potter was a nutter.”</p>
<p>“Hey!” Harry said, mock outraged. “I resemble that remark!”</p>
<p>Hermione grinned at him.</p>
<p>“<span>Mr. Potter,” Madame Pomfrey said, interrupting their levity, “I have some questions to ask you. What do you know about </span><span>social hierarchy?”</span></p>
<p>“Uh...you mean like that aristocracy?” Harry asked, completely confused.</p>
<p>“No. No, nothing like that. I’ll assume from your answer, that you don’t know what I’m talking about.” The healer paused for a moment. “You see, in the magical world, there are certain...classifications. These are called castes. Which caste you’re in is determined by many different factors like family magic and genealogy amongst other things. There are three groups: Alphas, Betas and Omegas.</p>
<p>[start]</p>
<p>“As you might suspect, Alphas are at the top of the social hierarchy and Omegas are at the bottom. Betas are somewhere in between, sort of neutral. With me so far?” Madame Pomfrey asked.</p>
<p>Harry nodded, though he was wondering what this had to do with him.</p>
<p>“Good, then. I have a book that you can read that will get into the details, but the basic gist of it is, Alphas and Omegas come in pairs. This is always true, no matter what. Alphas and Omegas are born usually within a year of one another, often less, and they are almost always born in the same geographical location.”</p>
<p>“So, like soulmates,” Harry asked, his brow scrunching in confusion.</p>
<p>Madame Pomfrey nodded. “Sort of, but there’s more to it than that. As I said, this is a hierarchy, and Alphas are at the top. You, Mr. Potter, are an Alpha, and Ms. Granger here is your Omega.”</p>
<p>Harry glanced at the girl who stood beside him, who was actually looking at him with a blush on her cheeks. Harry thought it made her look adorable, but figured that this wasn’t the time to say that out loud, so he looked back at Madame Pomfrey. “What does it mean, though? I mean I get that we’re supposed to be together, but I don’t understand the rest.”</p>
<p>“All three castes have their own qualities, responsibilities, and traits. Betas, for example, are usually very plain people, who favor blending into society. Alphas like to be in charge all the time, they feel possessive over the things they own, and are often times the leaders of societies. Omegas are their exact opposite. Omegas are submissive and are often loners who are firmly reliant on their Alphas to bring them out of their shell, so to speak.”</p>
<p>“So Omegas are slaves?” Harry asked, shocked. “I don’t like that. I don’t want a slave.”</p>
<p>Madame Pomfrey laughed. “No, Omegas are not slaves. They still have free will, but they are subservient to their Alphas in almost every way. Alphas are responsible for ensuring their Omegas have a good life, are taken care of, and are...well, to put it bluntly, Alphas are responsible for making sure that their Omegas are sexually satisfied and bred properly.”</p>
<p>Harry blushed. “Bred?”</p>
<p>“Indeed. Omegas go through monthly heats usually starting after their 15<sup>th</sup> birthdays. This is also usually the time where the bond between an Alpha and Omega begins to develop. It’s why you’ve started to feel possessive of Ms. Granger now and not a year ago.”</p>
<p>Harry nodded.</p>
<p>“</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. An Ode to Broomstick Flyer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermiong Granger was not a simple girl like those vapid fools that shared her dorm room. She had never been simple. It was one of the reasons why she’d never really had friends before she arrived at Hogwarts. She prided herself in her intelligence, her drive, and her willingness to help others.</p>
<p>Hogwarts didn’t really change that. Her first two months were spent much like the first 11 years of her life: alone.</p>
<p>Then she met a troll by the name of Ronald Weasley. And then an actual troll. This led to her friendship with Harry Potter, which would in turn change her life forever.</p>
<p>Most times, she was certain that her friendship with the raven-haired wizard was a good thing. She was certain in those times that without him she might have never made it through her time at Hogwarts.</p>
<p>Other times, like those times right after her fifth year, she was quite positive that she would be much healthier and happier without her friendship with the Potter boy.</p>
<p>It was during the time after she’d been injured at the Department of Mysteries that she’d decided that if she were going to live her own life, she’d need to do it without Harry Potter in her life.</p>
<p>Of course, that was easier said than done. She was in love with Harry and she didn’t know what to do about it. She’d never told him, of course. And, in fact, she’d done her best to hide her feelings from her best friend. If she’d told him, she just knew that it would ruin everything.</p>
<p>After her injury, she made a vow to herself that she would finally move on from her almost certainly unrequited feelings and get herself a boyfriend. She’d distance herself from Harry, and see if she might just be happier without him in her life.</p>
<p>That decision was one that would change her life, and this time she was going to end up 100% certain that it was for the worse.</p>
<p>-:::-</p>
<p>Her plan was going so well. Harry had gotten this stupid potions book on their first day in class and had been cheating with it for the better part of two months. It had provided her with a ready excuse to be mad at him all the time, and for her to remove herself from his presence as often as possible.</p>
<p>There were times when it was hard. She could see the hurt she was causing him, and in those moments she doubted her plan. But then she’d muster her determination and will power and sneer at him before turning away.</p>
<p>Another part of her plan, idiotic though it may have seemed to her often times, was for her to start to show romantic interest in Ronald Weasley, one of the trolls she had met first year. She didn’t like him, and had no plans to actually go out with him, but she knew that Harry harbored a crush on her. It seemed logical that the best way to stop that crush in its tracks was to show interest in another guy.</p>
<p>By Christmas, her plan was well on its way to success. Harry was spending less and less time with her (or Ron as she found out later), and she was having a great time. She was focusing on her own studies for the first time since Haloween of her first year, instead of being distracted by Harry’s woes. Granted she also did some dome things, like going to the Slughorn Christmas party with McClaggan, but she felt as a teenager it was her duty to do stupid things from time to time. What was life without a few mistakes?</p>
<p>When she had returned from her parent’s house, Hermione was all set to continue her dullest yet safest year at Hogwarts. Her parents had been surprised that she’d not mentioned Harry’s name at all during her time at home, but a conversation with her mother had nipped that surprise in the bud.</p>
<p>----Flashback---</p>
<p>“Hermione, how’s Harry?” Helen Granger asked.</p>
<p>“Oh, I’m not acutally sure. We’re not really friends anymore,” Hermione answered nonchalontly.</p>
<p>Helen Granger looked at her daugher in shock, which just caused Hermione to shrug her shoulders. “We got into a fight, and he was unreasonable, so I’ve been distancing myself from him.”</p>
<p>“But didn’t you tell me you were helping him against this dark wizard?”</p>
<p>“Well I was, but Harry’s working with Dumbledore now. He doesn’t really need me. Besides, it should really be the adults fighting. When we fought at the Ministry last year, we got our bums kicked.”</p>
<p>“I thought the two of you were...”</p>
<p>Hermione interupted her mother, something she hardly ever did. “There was nothing other than friendship between Harry and I. I might have had a crush on him when I was younger, but that’s gone now.”</p>
<p>“Okay, sweetheart, I hope you know what you’re doing.” With that her mom went back into the kitchen, leaving Hermione in the living room with her books.</p>
<p>Hermione knew exactly what she was doing. She was saving her own life, and maybe Harry’s too. He needed to learn to keep his nose out of the war business before it got him or someone else killed.</p>
<p>---End Flashback---</p>
<p>Everyone was thoroughly enthused about seeing their friends again. Hermione knew that that enthusiasum would dry up once classes resumed on Monday, but that was to be expected.</p>
<p>The shock to her system started when dinner rolled around on that first day back at school. Professor McGonagall made her way down to the Gryffindor table.</p>
<p>“Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley,” the stern professor said, standing behind Ron who was across from Hermione. “After you finish eating, please go the Headmaster’s office. I will meet you at the gargoyle.”</p>
<p>Hermione looked at her head-of-house in shock. “Did we do something wrong, professor?”</p>
<p>“Not to my knowledge. This has to do with something else.” With that the older woman made her way back to the staff table where she sat down after giving a breif nod to the Headmaster.</p>
<p>Hermione glanced at Ron who was also looking nervous. The two of them had never been called to the Headmaster’s office. Ron had at least been there once before at the end of their second year. Hermione, on the other hand, had not.</p>
<p>For the rest of their dinner, Hermione fretted over what she could have possibly done to get herself sent to the Headmaster’s office.</p>
<p>Not once did she look around for her raven haired former best friend.</p>
<p>-:::-</p>
<p>Harry Potter was human. That might not be the only thing that he knew about himself, but it was the one constant thing. He also knew very little about psychology, but he did know some from his research at the public library between fifth and sixth years (he’d been reading about depression).</p>
<p>He knew that as a human there was only so much one person could handle before they broke completely. There were several times in his life that this could have happened to him. There was a large chance that he could have been mentally broken by his relative’s treatment during his first 10 years at Privet Drive.</p>
<p>Then there were the many dangerous adventures he’d been forced into while he attended Hogwarts. Any normal person would have run as far away as possible after meeting a possessed teacher at the end of their first year. Not Harry.</p>
<p>He’d stuck around because he finally felt he had a home. A home that included two best friends.</p>
<p>Second year was harder, if only because by the end of it he’d been without one of those best friends for several weeks. Again, his expereince with the basalisk and the shade of Tom Riddle should have had him end up in front of a mind healer.</p>
<p>Third and fourth year were equally dangerous. Fourth year was the hardest for him up to that point simply because he was so alone. Hermione was there for him, of course, but it was hard to have the entire student body against him. Then he’d witnessed Cedric’s murder and things got worse. Voldemort was back. Worse still, only a few people believed him.</p>
<p>Then in fifth year, he lost Sirius. During the summer after that, he thought that he just couldn’t go on. But he did, and he eventually got through it by himself, just like always.</p>
<p>It wasn’t until the first month of his sixth year had passed him by that Harry realized the one thing that would surely break him. Or, more accurately, the one person who could break him.</p>
<p>Hermione Granger.</p>
<p>Harry could admit that he had more than just a little crush on his bushy-haired best friend. He’d never told her because he was pretty sure that Ron had a crush on her. Harry would never want to come between his two best friends, even if that meant he had to sacrifice his own happiness.</p>
<p>As long as Hermione was always his friend, Harry thought that everything would be fine.</p>
<p>Then he started using that damn potions book and Hermione had been so angry with him. Harry knew he was being stubborn about it, but he couldn’t help it. For the first time in over five years he was doing good in potions and he liked that feeling. He had thought that she would be proud of him for finally enjoying a subject besides DADA, but he’d apparently misjudged the situation entirely.</p>
<p>Even then, he hadn’t thought that it would go so far. Any time they were in the same room with each other, she was yelling at him. If it wasn’t about the damn potions book (which he stopped using at the beginning of October), it was about Malfoy.</p>
<p>Harry knew something was up with the blond haired ferret, but he couldn’t prove it. In year’s past, Hermione would have been right at his side trying to figure out why Malfoy was acting so odd. Not this year, though. She, for whatever reason, couldn’t see past Malfoy’s age and admit that there was at least a chance that the ponce had taken the Dark Mark.</p>
<p>But no. Apparently there was no chance of that, and any argument that Harry came up with was just shot down. She even started to sneer at him and call him an idiot.</p>
<p>His Hermione would never do that. So, Harry stopped spending time with her. He eventually figured out that she was being so mean because she hated him due to her injuries during their DoM adventure. It was his fault that she was almost killed.</p>
<p>The end of his friendship with Hermione was the last straw. He buried himself into training in the Room of Requirement, and barricaded himself away from other people. The sad thing was, he wasn’t even sure any of his ‘friends’ even noticed his absence. The only person to comment on it was Dumbledore.</p>
<p>Harry’s response was “I’ve got to get better, professor, if I have any chance of beating Voldemort. My friends understand. It’s for the Greater Good, after all.”</p>
<p>Harry could admit that the wince on the Headmaster’s face had been highly amusing for him to see.</p>
<p>The more he isolated himself, the more depressed he got. By the time Christmas rolled around, Harry knew what he had to do.</p>
<p>Kiling Voldemort was the only reason he’d survived that night in October of 1981. There was to be no happy ending for him. He had been a fool to think that with his destiny he’d be able to live happily ever after with Hermione by his side and a few kids in his house. He was a fool, and he didn’t like that feeling.</p>
<p>So, he came up with a plan. He wouldn’t return to Hogwarts after the Christmas break. He had been training since the beginning of the school year, but it wasn’t enough. He needed to learn more and he needed to learn it fast. The longer he took to learn what he needed to learn, the more likely it would be that Voldemort would attempt to kill the people he cared about.</p>
<p>He kept up his training right up until the train left for the holidays. He put his name down on the sign up sheet that indicated he was one of the students leaving the castle for the holidays. When McGonagall asked him about it, he lied and said that the Dursleys had asked him to come how for Christmas so he could help them with a home improvement project. His professor’s eyes had narrowed and her lips had thinned but she had dropped the subject, just as he knew she would.</p>
<p>McGonagall was never going to go against Dumbledore, and the old man wanted Harry to be at the Dursleys.</p>
<p>Harry packed his things and got on the train with the rest of the students who were going home for the holiday. He avoided his old friends and sat in the luggage compartment. He gazed out of the train at the village of Hogsmeade, knowing that it was likely that he’d never see the village or the castle that sat beside it ever again.</p>
<p>-:::-</p>
<p>Hermione had worked herself into a complete fit by the time Ron was done with his dinner and they had made their way to the gargoyle that protected the Headmaster’s office.</p>
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